Modeling of Hopper discharge and pneumatic conveying using the discrete element modeling approach

Date:

Monday, June 1, 2009

Abstract:

Solid handling and processing are widely carried out in process and steel industries. For examples – charging of solid raw materials into a blast furnace; injection of solid coal particles into a blast furnace along with hot gas; conversion of solid coal into solid (porous) coke in a coke-making unit; transport of coal, pneumatic conveying of sintered pellets, etc. Modeling the flow of these solids employing continuum approach has proved to be a big challenge for the researchers. Proper insight into the mechanics that cause the motion of the granular material is still not achieved. Recently, a Lagrangian modeling technique called Discrete Element Modeling approach (DEM) has gained tremendous popularity in the research circle owing to the ever increasing power and speed of modern computers. In DEM the motion of each and every particle is tracked in time and space, based on the forces acting on it. We have found DEM is capable of modeling typical granular flow applications like hopper discharge flow and dilute-phase pneumatic conveying with reasonable accuracy. In pneumatic conveying it is found that pressure drop in the pipe increases with increasing particle-loading and fluid flow rates, and residence time of particle increases with decreasing fluid velocity.